The Departed: Keeping Your Enemy Closer

When I went to see this movie with a friend the other night, his expectations were not too high. Martin Scorsese had, in his mind, not made a truly great film since Casino (1995). As the closing credits rolled and we left the theater, my friend had a big smile on his face. Scorsese had just done right by him again.

As for me, I’m just so impressed with how he can deliver a third consecutive near-masterpiece and make it look easy. Any rookie film director who plans on making this kind of entertainment should know they have plenty to learn from this 65-year-old veteran and his 67-year-old editor. What a team, such energy they pour into their films! I actually lost sleep the night after watching this film, that’s how excited I was. The Departed is an old-fashioned gangster movie, a remake of a celebrated Hong Kong thriller, Infernal Affairs (2002). Writer William Monahan has expanded the original script into something even more gripping.

The film is set in South Boston and depicts the constant war going on between gangsters and law enforcement officials. The prime target for the cops is Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), a ruthless mob boss. What he doesn’t know (but suspects) is that a special division within the Boston police has managed to put a spy in his midst; only two other cops know his identity. And what the police don’t know (but suspect) is that Costello has planted a rat in their midst. The game began years ago. Fresh out of the academy, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) was talked into infiltrating Costello’s syndicate, served time in prison to build the “right” credentials, and then fought his way into Costello’s inner circle; Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) virtually grew up with Costello as a father figure and enrolled in the academy without anyone knowing about his mob ties, and now he’s becoming one of the most trusted cops on Costello’s trail. How long can both men go on without being exposed and killed?

Nicholson commands every scene he’s in
The movie is expertly paced and one’s feelings for the characters are effectively built by the writer and the A list cast. Martin Sheen is a perfect father figure and what happens to his character is heartbreaking (is that a way to treat an ex-president, by the way?). Mark Wahlberg, who received an Oscar nomination, does a fine job with his pit bull-like detective, and Alec Baldwin is very amusing as Sullivan’s colorful boss.

Nicholson does what he usually does and commands every scene he’s in without overdoing it; even a scene where he’s wearing a strap-on dildo (his own idea) is something he gets away with. His Costello is a sloppy but fear-inspiring gangster who in the end turns out to be anything but as loyal as some of his own crew.

DiCaprio and Damon show, as they have on several occasions lately, that they are serious about growing as actors. They have complex characters. Costigan is under constant pressure; the sheer length of his assignment (he’s been undercover for years) as well as the horrible crimes he’s forced to commit as one of Costello’s thugs haunt him and has got him hooked on pills. Sullivan, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have much of a conscience, but he’s not a happy human being; he’s like a machine who acts as if he chooses never to think about his feelings. He has a gorgeous girlfriend, but there are signs that he could possibly be a closet homosexual.

Everyone works hard on their Boston accents and the streets are indeed very mean; this is a bloody and foul-mouthed thriller. Scorsese has many talents, but as my friend said the other night, this is what he does best.

Quote: “Twenty years after an Irishman couldn’t get a fucking job, we had the presidency. May he rest in peace. That’s what the niggers don’t realize. If I got one thing against the black chappies, it’s this – no one gives it to you. You have to take it.” (Nicholson on the success of the Irish)

Last word: “I felt comfortable, certainly, with the street scenes with guys in the street and guys in bars and that sort of thing, and even more comfortable with the doctor scenes. But with the police scenes, I did feel a little uncomfortable with the way that played out. I mean, Mark Wahlberg’s attitude was very clear. Alec Baldwin picked up on it beautifully and counterbalanced it. It was almost like an Abbott and Costello routine between Wahlberg and Baldwin. I didn’t have to say anything to them. They just did it.” (Scorsese, About.com)

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A blog on movies & TV, Hollywood and beyond.

I studied film at Halmstad University and practical filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Now I’m a critic for the Swedish daily Aftonbladet. Opinions expressed on this personal website are solely mine and not related to Aftonbladet.